Quick-freeze, quick-thaw device for foodstuffs



May 16, 1950 w. J. MEAD QUICK-FREEZE, QUICK-THAW DEVICE FOR FOODSTUFFSFiled Jan. 10, 1945 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 IN VEN TOR.

May 16, 1950 w. J. MEAD 2,507,862

QUICK-FREEZE, QUICK-THAW DEVICE FOR FOODSTUF'FS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 FiledJan. 10, 1945 Patented May 16, 1950 UNITED STATES QUTGK-FREEZE,QUICK-THAW DEVICE FOR FOODSTUFFS Warren .1. Mead, Belmont, Mass,asslgnor to Reynolds Metals 00., Richmond, Va o corporation of DelawareApplicafiion January 10, 3945, Serial No. 8723122 11 Claim.

This invention relates to means accompanying o package of food to befrozen, and to be thawed and used customary manner ulcer freezing, whichwill hesseri the freezing opereslon end which also will shorten the timeof chewing.

lo the preparation of foodstufis for freezing, es eussoma-rlly employed,the vegetables, meets, fruits or cooked foods, to be frozen, are formedinto peekege units by being placed metal freezing eoritciners generallylined wllh weer and are subgected to s. selected freezing process lmderlow hamper-store. when lhe freezlug been coroplesed she units ereremoved from the freezing containers end boxed or wrapped fordistribution and retell sole.

With iocdssufis the time of freezing, es well as thawing, ls relativelyslow, due to their poor heat conduction characteristics. This fee sorimperious in she time, and hence cost, of the ireesmg opersiilcu. Suchfrozen foods re sisi chewing at room temperature end for properpreparation for cooking bllfiy should be lshewed sit or about roomiempereiaure. less rector makes practical means for quick, butnormaliemgoeroture, thewlrlg of. importance to the housewife.

my invention the time of freezing and the chewing time at normeltemperstm'es are greatly reduced by simple inexpensive means which willeceompany the package of frozen food from the time of freezing to thecompletion of the thawing step.

The invention will be described with '-'-*-ferehce so the accompanyingdrawings, in which- Flg. l is a perspective view showing the two thermalconductor members which in sodium lion form an embodiment of theinvention.

Fig. 2 is a. schematic view of a wrapped paclrage within which will bedisposed my device.

Flg. 3 is a. transverse section on the line 3-2, Fig. '2, the hatchingindicating a. food-stud to be frozen, or after freezing.

Fig. 4 is a plan view of the structure shown in F18. l.

Fig. 5 is a. fragmentary sectional plan view on the line 5-5, Fig. 3.

Fig. 6 is a perspective view showing a second form or my device.

Fig. 7 is a plan view of the structure shown in Fig. 6.

Fig. 8 is a narrowed side elevation of the structure shown in Fig. 8 andFig. 9 is a. narrowed end elevation of the same.

Fig. 10 is a fragmentary vertical section through a foodstufl and two ofthe metallic conductor teeth.

Referring to Figs. 1 to 6 of the drawings, my device consists of eithera single metallic toothed sheet, or two of said sheets, I, Ix, whichwill be formed preferably of light guage aluminum,

2 fisher-med conductivity of sisal: m tal 0 general acceptance for foodcou- Locl. roe drawings two of the two sheets Bhermel conductors areshown in conjunction.

A plurality of elongated pointed cuts are made in each motel sheet tobound sides end pointed ends of conductor teeth 2, 2s. The dies foroutshe sheet in formation of the teeth may be designed to mm our,transversely curve, and esigularly bend, the teeth, the latter extendingsubsterilielly as right angles to their carrying sheess. The curvedformation of the teeth will eoeble e. lighter uess of rrletel sheet thanotherwise.

m she packaging of foods for freezing one sheet alone mey be used. Forexample, the lower soothed thermal sheet la: may be placed in theforming container, the teeth 2x extending upwardly and the foodsiufipoured (as in the case cooked loodstufis and fruits and vegetables insmel eggregebes), or pressed into position, to fill the container. Thepackage thus formed may then be placed in the freezer.

The heat will more rapidly be withdrawn from doe interior of thefoodstuff, and the time of freezing very greatly reduced, because theteeth will readily conduit the interior heat to the thermal sheet fromwhich the interior and surface heat will be taken up by the freezingapparetus. In fact, my device enables relatively quick freezing of foodsgenerally by the use of ordinary chill rooms, or hardening rooms such asemployed for hardening ice cream products, and my device renders extremelow temperatures, with consequent high cost in apps" rahus andoperation, quite unnecessary in the greater number of cases.

It will be understood that the teeth or interior conductors carried byand projected from each because thermal sheet may be of widely differentform and arrangement. As an illustration, I have shown in Figs. 6 to 9inclusive, a second form of my device. The same light guage thermalsheets preferably of aluminum, are used as shown at 5, 5:16. The teeth6, 612:, however, are flat-sided and wedge-shaped. As in the precedingform of my device, she teeth of the two thermal sheets 5, 5a: are inface contact. While such arrangement is desirable, it is not essential,and the teeth of one sheet may be separated from those of the secondsheet. Also in most cases a. single thermal sheet with projected heatconducting members will be sufficient.

When the freezing operation is completed the frozen foodstuff unit, withits thermal sheet or sheets as a part thereof, may be boxed, or wrappedas indicated as indicated in Fig. 2, and then may be distributed forretail sale in the customary manner. The user will expose the unboxed orunwrapped unit to ordinary room 3 temperature. The heat will be quicklytaken up by the aluminum thermal sheet and conducted to the interior ofthe frozen food. Thawing will rapidly result as compared with the slowthawing with frozen foods packaged according to present practice.

Having described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure byLetters Patent is as follows:

A quick-freeze, quick-thaw device adapted for use with and in packagesof food to be frozen, and consisting of two metallic plates, each beingformed with a plurality of integral projected spurs 0r teeth extendingat substantially right angles to the plate, whereby the plates may bearranged with the teeth of one plate opposed to those of the secondplate for projection of the teeth into the body of food to be frozen forthe 4 metallic conduction of heat from the interior of the body to theplates, and reverse action as to conduction of heat in the thawing ofsaid body.

WARREN J. MEAD.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 267,535 Hurd Nov. 14, 1882858,258 Briscoe et al. June 25. 1907 1,983,549 Krackowizer Dec. 11, 19342,011,289 Klyce Aug. 13, 1935 2,013,896 Pennington Sept. 10, 19352,075,472 1 Schwary et a1. Mar. 30, 1937 2,129,572 Finnegan Sept. 6.1938

